Ten Years of "The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan"

It is hard to believe that it was ten years ago this month that The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan was published by ComiXpress.

ComiXpress is no longer in business and I was planning to publish an updated edition, but my move to New Mexico and my heart attack two summers ago put a delay into those plans. I will eventually do so, as it is my intention.

I am pleased how it sold and the press it received. The Japanese press gave it some great coverage.

Above, from the Daily Yomiuri in Japan.

Above, from Metropolis magazine (Tokyo).

A few months after publication, this promo video was created:




Then, a few months later, Monster Madhouse/Karlos Borloff, posted this video (featuring the late Vixxa Violet):




Copies are still available. Go to the links on this page.

Planning Ahead and Returning To Japan

Above, yours truly is heading back to the "Land of the Big G" early next year.

This year's crop check has arrived and now I can turn my attention to my planning for the next few months. Although corn prices are well below last year's, this years crop is the best in ages (I'm told) with a far better-than-average per acre yield, which made up quite a bit of the difference.

Since the "demise" of ComiXpress, I had to find another self-publishing house for The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan. I've decided to go with Ka-Blam Digital Publishing (catchy name, eh?). After deciding, this left me with two options:

1. Make slight modifications to the current edition of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan and publish that way at Ka-Blam. Or,

2. To a complete revision/update of the travel guide and publish through Ka-Blam.

I've decided on option two. This decision requires that I head over to Japan for more material. I've no problem with this, as I have been "chafing at the bit" to make the trip. I will be going early next year. Since I will be doing so for the guide, I can write off most, if not all, of my travel expenses from my income taxes (just like I did three years ago). Since the dollar is performing much better against the yen in exchange rates and given the cheap airfare prices I've been finding lately, this is the perfect time to go. I hope to have everything done and having it published by Spring.

For those who can't wait for the second edition, do not fret as I have plenty of copies of the current edition available. Go here for ordering details.

This trip will be combined with assisting Godzilla and Hiroshima: The Rise of the Kaiju Eiga producer/director Jonathan Bellés as he gathers material for his documentary. We will be deciding on the trip dates and make plans accordingly.

Once I return, work will begin on the "second edition" of the travel guide.

The trip will be something to look forward to as 2013 ends and 2014 begins.

"It's Gone!" "Like It Was Never There!"*

Above, Miki Hayashi with "The Monster Movie
Fan's Guide To Japan."  Photo by Armand Vaquer,

This morning, for the heck of it, I checked to see what, if anything, has been posted at ComiXpress.com. Regular readers of this blog know that The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan was published (as print on demand) by ComiXpress until they decided to call it quits last May.

Well, the website has been totally taken down. There's nothing to see there. R.I.P.

While my experience with ComiXpress had been a good one, I thought that closing down shop without allowing book producers to retrieve their formatted book files to take elsewhere was a mistake. That is, unless separate and private arrangements with the producers in retrieving their book files were made. This wasn't an issue for me as I have the formatted The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan file saved on discs.

This would be a problem for some book producers if they were unable to retrieve their formatted files from ComiXpress if they didn't save their book files or if they saved it on a computer that later crashed.

Fortunately, as I have mentioned previously, I placed a big order of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan earlier this year as I had conventions and presentations to do. I have plenty of copies available.  Go here for ordering information.

*Quoted from Sara and Eben Kent in "Superman On Earth" (1951).

"The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan" Ordering Update

Above, Yuu Asakura with "The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan."
Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Outside of the dealers (information available in this blog on the right) who are carrying the print edition of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan, the only other place to obtain a copy is through me. This was made necessary after ComiXpress.com decided to cease business back in May.

I have updated this page with new ordering information, including a handy-dandy order form in .pdf format. Simple, eh?

To order, all you have to do is print this order form, complete it and send it to the address as posted here in "Godzilla green." That's it!

I have plenty of copies available as I ordered a big supply earlier this year.

Revisions, Revisions, Etc.

Above, Peter H. Brothers in November 2009.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Peter H. Brothers has been busy re-working and revising his biography on Godzilla director Ishiro Honda, Mushroom Clouds and Mushroom Men: The Fantastic Cinema of Ishiro Honda. He has completed "Phase II" of the project and is now starting "Phase III."

He is adding more material from Japanese sources, among other things. He mentioned that it has been three years since the original edition was published (hard to believe it has been that long). As I recall, it came out around November 2009, about two months before The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan. We had a gathering at his stately manor in Thousand Oaks, California to celebrate its publication.

Above, yours truly scrutinizing Pete's book in November 2009.

This reminds me. Since ComiXpress has decided to close its doors, I have been mulling about doing a revision (or update) of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan. As I mentioned previously, I am leaning towards that, but if I do, it won't be started until early next year. Most, if not all, travel guides go through updates, usually on an annual basis. But as I am not "corporate America," it will take a while to get completed.

In the meantime, since we (the Nakajimas and I) are not going to the Days of the Dead convention, this frees up more copies that otherwise would have been allocated for the convention from my at-hand stock.

Details for snagging a copy are here.

May Ends On A High Note

May closed out on a very high note.

First, despite the closure of ComiXpress, sales of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan have gone exceedingly well.  It also helps to be running a pre-vacation season sale to push it along.  The ebook edition at Amazon's Kindle Store is also doing quite well.  The sale ends one week from today, so don't miss out on getting the printed edition at 20% off the cover price!

Second, I was doing some research on my ancestry with the idea of joining the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) (my grandmother was in the Daughters of the American Revolution).  While doing so, I was making use of Ancestry.com.  As a whim, I entered in names of people I knew from years past who I've lost contact with.  Some results weren't so happy as I found that they have passed on.  Other results were very happy, to put it mildly.

One result, I have to say, was someone I knew in college who I haven't heard from in over 30 years.  Without giving out any personal information, as her line of work, etc. dictates discretion, we reconnected and it has been a very enjoyable, and interesting, experience.  We picked up as if time had not even passed very easily.  It is interesting to see how one's life has progressed over the years.  It is also very nice to see a friend become a success in their professional life.  A lot of things changed, but some are as familiar as if 30 years hadn't passed such as the sense of humor and the general tenor of discussion (she's a darn great storyteller!).

If she happens to read this, I will sum it all up by borrowing a line from Spock from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: "I have been and always shall be your friend."  I couldn't put it any better than that.

Final Royalty Check From ComiXpress

My account with the late, great ComiXpress has been settled.  The final royalty check for sales of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan arrived in today's mail.  My experience with ComiXpress has been a pleasant one and the fast arrival of the check is indicative of that.

As far as my future plans are concerned, I am still thinking about whether to re-publish the current edition of the guide (with some necessary modifications to the back cover and the inside back cover) with a different publisher or wait to publish an updated "second edition."  I am in no hurry on either as I have plenty of copies in stock that should last to the end of the year.  Either way, I still have to settle on finding a comparable (to the terms and costs I had with ComiXpress) publisher.

May is rapidly approaching the end of the month and the guide is still available at a 20% pre-vacation season discount (see below) through Saturday, June 8.  It is also available as an ebook through Amazon.com's Kindle Store (it is also available in the Kindle Stores of Brazil, Germany, France, Canada, United Kingdom, Japan, Spain and Italy).

Source: Anime News Network.

"About "The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan"" Page Edited

Above, your truly with the Godzilla statue at the main entrance to Toho Studios.

With the news that ComiXpress is going out-of-business, I had to modify my page, "About The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan" accordingly.

While I was there doing that, I did a little "tinkering" with the page, including tightening up some text and modifying different elements.  It looks and reads better, in my most humble opinion.

To check it out, go here.

Another "Crimp" In The ComiXpress Closure Discovered

Above, Ai with "The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan."  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Another "crimp" has been discovered in relation to the closure of ComiXpress.

Creator Paul Townsend posted a comment asking about his book files that are stored in ComiXpress's server. His computer crashed, wiping out his book files, but wasn't worried about it as they were stored in ComiXpress's server.

Now that ComiXpress is closing, he (and possibly others) are in a panic as they don't have copies of their book files.

Out of curiosity, I checked my own account and went to the link of the stored .pdf approved file of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.  I hit the link and received this:

As I have my book files saved on CD-Roms, I am not worried about this (after all, I was able to have Amazon make the ebook out of it).  But this prompted me to add a comment under Townsend's asking if the links to stored book files will be restored so creators can download them and take them to another publisher.  They're going to be screwed if they aren't able to access their book files.

It will be interesting to see what the response bill be.

Plenty of Copies of "The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan" But Others Not So Lucky

With the announcement of the closure of ComiXpress yesterday, I have to thank my lucky stars that I ordered enough copies of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan to last through to the end of the year. So if you're on the fence about getting copy, you may want to consider doing so now while I am still running a sale until June 8:

Source: Anime News Network.

Unfortunately, the closure is putting a crimp on the Monster Attack Team (the pre-Famous Monsters group) magazine.  They have enough copies of Monster Attack Team number 8 to sell at an upcoming convention at the end of this month, but have to temporarily halt online sales until they sign up with another print-on-demand publisher.  Details here.

Along with Monster Attack Team, I can imagine the ComiXpress closure is immediately putting a bind on other self-publishing comics and magazine creators who don't have enough copies in stock to tide them over.

Options, Opportunity and Incentive

The closing of ComiXpress did not come as a total surprise to me. As I mentioned earlier, their website has been down for "maintenance" for about a week or so. I did consider what I would do if they closed down.

I've already made inquiries with other publishers and some seem very promising. Since I am in no rush and I have three boxes full of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan in stock, I should have enough last to the end of the year. (I had some already and ordered more before the Mad Monster Party convention in March. Good thing I did, in light of today's news.)  I will continue to check with publishers to see what services they have available and the cost.

At present, I see that I have two options:

1.  I can go with a new publisher and continue with the current edition (but modify it to remove references/advertising to ComiXpress). This would be the easier route, but...

2. I can go with a new publisher and publish a new, revised/updated edition.  I have been thinking along these lines for the past several months anyway. This presents a good opportunity and incentive to get on the ball to do so.

One publisher, Ka-Blam Digital Printing, compares favorably to what I had at ComiXpress.  Jenni at Ka-Blam is already familiar with The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan and this blog. And, she has received other queries since ComiXpress made their announcement.

She wrote, in part:

Hi Armand,

Thanks for writing.
We are getting a lot of inquiries regarding this topic.
I'm familiar with your blog previous to this incident. I've not had a chance to see the book.
Ok! Any further questions, just post and one of us will help you out.
Jenni

The Amazon Kindle ebook edition is still available.  No changes there.

I am going to "mull it over" for a while.  Luckily, I am in no hurry.  Any suggestions?

ComiXpress Going Out-of-Business

I had a suspicion that this was coming.  I kept getting messages that their website is undergoing "maintenance." But a post from ComiXpress's president Logan DeAngelis today confirms my suspicions.

They are shutting down after a nine-year run.

Thank goodness I have plenty of copies of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan to cover upcoming conventions and shows until I find a new publisher.

Here's DeAngelis's message:

When we started ComiXpress back in 2004 it was just a handful of comic book creators with a dream to use new technologies to help their fellow creators get their books into print. We were lucky enough not only to have the know-how to make this dream a reality, but also the passion necessary to see where the road took us. Over the course of these nine years we have served hundreds of creators and printed thousands of books. And from the smallest single-copy order for an aspiring cartoonist not even in their teens to huge convention orders for industry legends, we have sincerely loved every minute of it. 

As our nine year anniversary approached we took a step back and looked at how we’ve grown in that time and what the next nine years might mean for us – both as a company, and as the creative individuals who make up the pieces of that company. Ultimately, after much soul-searching we realized that although it’s been an amazing nine years, sometimes things just run their course and we’ve made the decision to close our doors. This decision wasn’t made lightly but we feel it’s time to close this chapter. 

On the technical side, we wanted to let you know that all paid for orders will be shipping promptly, but no other orders will be moving forward. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. 

As we move now to shut down the presses and pack up the computers, we have some thanks we’d like to make. First, thank you to each and every creator whom we had the opportunity to work with. We never felt like your printer; we felt like your partner in bringing your wonderful works to the printed page. Next, thank you to the readers whose voracious appetite for independent, creator owned comics gave us the fuel to get out of bed in the morning. And finally to every member of our ComiXpress crew, past and present. We have always been more family than co-workers, and without exception you helped every day to make the impossible a reality. Go get some sleep and kiss your kids; you’ve earned it. 

It really does feel strange to think that we won’t be making comics for you any more, but we truly hope that everyone who has worked with us over the past nine years will look back fondly on us and what we tried so hard to do for the creators. 

Thank you all for such a great run, and wishing you all success in your future comics.

Logan DeAngelis
President, ComiXpress Inc.

The pre-vacation season sale is still on

until Saturday, June 8!

Monster Japan Travel Guide #23 On Amazon Japanese Travel Best Sellers List

The Amazon Kindle Edition of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan is number 23 in Amazon's Best Sellers In Japanese Travel list:

The ComiXpress website still appears to be down, but you can still get the travel guide through me at a 20% pre-vacation season discount.  Details here:

Source: Anime News Network.

ComiXpress.com Website Undergoing "Maintenance"

Above, Miki Hayashi with "The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan."  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

ComiXpress.com has been undergoing website "maintenance" during the past several days.  Outside of a few things (such as creator accounts, etc.), links to comics and magazines, including The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan, aren't working.

Hopefully, they will have the website up and running at "full power" this coming week.  I will keep checking and will report when everything is back up.

Meantime, the 20% pre-vacation season sale for the travel guide is still on (through June 8), so anyone wanting a copy can still get it through me.

Or, if you prefer to get the Amazon Kindle ebook edition, the website for that is still running fine.

UPDATE (5/14/13):  ComiXpress's website is still down for maintenance:

Get On The Japan Travel Bandwagon

As I am currently concentrating on the pre-vacation season sale of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan, I haven't  recently checked how the Kindle Edition at Amazon is doing.  Until now.

At this writing, the guide is number 26 on the Amazon Best Sellers list for Japan travel.

People are jumping on the Japan travel bandwagon as the dollar topped ¥100 yen for the first time in four years this week.  The news of this is being widely covered in various news sites as this milestone has caused the Japanese stock exchange to jump.  Naturally, people had been waiting for the dollar/yen exchange rate to improve before committing themselves to a trip to Japan.  Now that the dollar has gained much of the value it lost these past four years, the floodgates for Japan tourists have opened up.

Many travel-related products and services (such as tours and the JR Rail Pass), whose prices are tied to the current exchange rate, are much more affordable. Those are roughly 20% cheaper than they were last November.

It comes as no surprise to me that the good news over the dollar/yen exchange rate has caused a surge in sales of the travel guide, both the hard copy and the Kindle Edition.  (By the way, this week's batch will be mailed tomorrow.)

If you want to get the Amazon Kindle Edition of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan, go here.

If you want to take advantage of the pre-vacation season sale (20% off the $15.00 cover price, for a total of $14.00 that also includes shipping and handling), send your check or money order payable to:

Armand Vaquer
18618 Collins Street, #105
Tarzana, CA 91356

The sale is on from now to Saturday, June 8.  It is only through me and not through ComiXpress.

Great Month For "The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan"

Above, Miki Hayashi with "The Monster Movie Fan's
Guide To Japan."  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

March is turning out to be a great month for sales of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.

Besides the sales at the recent Mad Monster Party convention, both ComiXpress.com and the Amazon Kindle Store have been logging more sales.   I hadn't checked either for the past week.  Finally, I checked both this morning and they are reporting more sales since before I left for Charlotte, North Carolina.

Above, my table with "The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan" at Mad Monster Party
just before the convention opened its doors for business.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Although sales of the travel guide were good the first two days of the Mad Monster Party, they were nothing like the third day (Sunday).  Attendance for conventions are generally down on Sundays, as in the case of the Mad Monster Party, but sales skyrocketed on Sunday.  I am guessing that people wait until the last day to make purchases.  One of my customers was actor Laurence R. Harvey of The Human Centipede II.

Quite a number of people picked up my business card.  So sales will likely be generated from that.  My business card states that the travel guide is available at ComiXpress.com.  A spike in sales at ComiXpress.com, immediately following the Los Angeles Comic Book and Sci-fi Convention last year, was the result of people picking up my business card.

Good Month For "The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan"

Online sales for The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan are strong for the month of March.  And we're not quite yet half way through the month.

Both the print edition at ComiXpress.com and at Amazon's Kindle Store are doing quite well.  At the Kindle Store, it is currently ranked at #31 on Amazon's list of Best Sellers for Japan Travel.

March will potentially be the best yet as I will be selling it in Charlotte, North Carolina next week at the Mad Monster Party convention.

Conditions are more favorable for American tourists to Japan as the dollar has regained some strength against the Japanese yen.  The exchange rate for the dollar and yen now has the dollar buying 96 yen.  It hasn't been at this level for over three years.

Mondo Travel Guide Tokyo

Above, one of the Imperial Palace's moats in Tokyo.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A new travel guide to Tokyo, Japan has been published.  It is available to iPads.

According to Japan Today:

TOKYO —Finnish travel magazine Mondo has published a new travel guide to Tokyo. Mondo Travel Guide Tokyo is a comprehensive and in-depth guidebook to the largest metropolitan area in the world. The authors, Japan experts Heikki Valkama, Siru Valleala and Eija Niskanen, introduce readers to local districts such as trendy Shibuya, Shinjuku with its skyscrapers, futuristic Odaiba, stylish Ginza, Akihabara with its otaku nerds, and bohemian Shimokitazawa.

“Tokyo is an amazing city that you want to return to again and again. I have lived in Japan for almost 20 years, and our travel guide has been written especially from the perspective of visitors”, says Valkama.

Although I have my own travel guide, I don't consider this as "competition" as they focus on Tokyo, while mine focuses of locations and landmarks used in Japanese science-fiction and fantasy movies.  "The more, the merrier" is my attitude.  The more travel guides that are available to would-be tourists to Japan, the better it is for them to enjoy their visit.

The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan is available as an ebook at Amazon's Kindle Stores in the U.S. (including India), United Kingdom, Brazil, Italy, Canada, Germany, Spain and Japan.  The print edition is available at ComiXpress.com.

To read the full article, go here.

"The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan" Scheduled To Arrive December 3

United Parcel Service just sent me a message stating that the shipment of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan from ComiXpress is en route and is scheduled to arrive next Monday (December 3).

This will replenish the stock of hard copies of the travel guide to cover the current holiday sale and the Mad Monster Party convention in Charlotte, North Carolina this coming March 21-23, 2013.

So, get 'em while they're hot!

ComiXpress Back Up And Running

Above, Yuu Asakura with "The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan."  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One bit of good news came through today.

ComiXpress is up and running again as their power and Internet have been restored.

They posted this message today on their home page:

Quick update to let you know we have power and internet and we’ve never been more thrilled to get to work! 

We’re digging in and will get back to everyone as quickly as possible – long hours ahead and we couldn’t be happier about it. 

We want to thank all of you for not only the understanding and patience, but also the compassion and genuine humanity we’ve been shown. ComiXpress is run by a small group of comic creators and junkies, and it never ceases to amaze us what an amazing community this is. Thank you all – our cockles are seriously warmed. 

Now, back to work we go!

My reorder of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan should be completed by the Christmas holidays.

Looks like they'll be pleasantly busy for a while.